菜单 cài dān

The word for "menu" in Mandarin Chinese is cài dān which translates as "list of dishes."

Example:

Qǐng gěi wǒ kànkan càidān. 
Can I see the menu, please? 

Traditional Characters:
請給我看看菜單｡
Simplified Characters:
请给我看看菜单｡

国家 guó jiā

The term for "country" or "nation" in Mandarin Chinese is guó jiā.

Example:

Dōng nán yà guó jiā lián méng yǒu shí gè chéng yuán guó. 
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has ten member states.

Traditional Characters:
東南亞國家聯盟有十個成員國｡
Simplified Characters:
东南亚国家联盟有十个成员国｡

简单 jiǎn dān simple

The Mandarin Chinese word for "simple" is jiǎn dān.

Example:

Wǒde xiǎng fǎ hěn jiǎn dān. 
My idea is very simple. 


Traditional Characters:
我的想法很簡單｡ 
Simplified Characters:
我的想法很简单｡

数字 Numbers

中国語では１～９９は日本語と同様に数えます。ですから、１～１０までの読み方を覚えれば、９９まで数を重ねて読めばいいです。

しかし、１００は、日本語では「百」だけでよいですが、中国語では「百」の前に「一」を加え、「一百」と言います。そして、１００以降は「零」の発音を覚える必要があります。


０から２０までの数え方は次の通りです。

零　líng　リン

一　yī　イー

二　èr　アー

三　sān　サン

四　sì　スー

五　wǔ　ウー

六　liù　リョウ

七　qī　チー

八　bā　バー

九　jiǔ　ジョウ

十　shí　シー

十一　shíyī　シーイー

十二　shíèr　シーアー

十三　shísān　シーサン

十四　shísì　シースー

十五　shíwǔ　シーウー

十六　shíliù　シーリョウ

十七　shíqī　シーチー

十八　shíbā　シーバー

十九　shíjiǔ　シージョウ

二十　èrshí　アーシー

普段何気なく使っている数字のジェスチャーですが、日本人と中国人では、作る手の形が違います。次の絵にあう数字を当ててみよう。

Chinese Pinyin in 6 Mins

Clarifying Chinese Characters

Mandarin Chinese has many written characters which sound the

 same. Sometimes it is not clear which character or meaning the 

speaker is using.

When clarification is needed, Chinese characters can be explained

 with this pattern: XY de X, where X is the character being 

explained, and XY is a common compound which uses that character.

 Characters can also be clarified by putting them in a commonly 

used phrase.

This type of clarification is especially useful for names, since it is 

usually not evident which characters are used to write a 

person’s name.

Clarification Examples

Wǒ de míngzi shì …
My name is…
我的名字是…

Xǔ Míng Fú – yán wǔ xǔ, rì yuè míng, fúqì de fú
許明福 – 言午許, 日月明, 福氣的福

Lín Píng Quán - shuāng mù lín, píngān de ping, quánlì

de quán
林平權 - 雙木林, 平安的平, 權力的權

Xú Bǎo Chuān - shuāng rén xú, zhūbǎo de bǎo, hé

chuān de chuān
徐寶川 - 雙人徐, 珠寶的寶, 河川的川

Learn To Clarify Your Chinese Name

If you have a Chinese name, you should learn how to clarify it in this 

manner. You will need the help of a native Mandarin speaker to choose 

a clarification that is understandable.

信 xìn

The Chinese character 信 (pronounced xìn) is composed of two
elements - the radical 人 in the altered form of 亻(pronounced
rén meaning person) and the character 言 (yán meaning word; 
to speak).

A person standing by his or her word symbolizes trust, one of
 the meanings of this character. The other meanings are believe
,true, and mail or letter.

The character 信 is classified as an associative compound. While
it is easy to see that a person's word equals trust, this character's
association with mail is less clear. Perhaps we can imagine letters
as a form of communication unique to humankind - people are the
only ones capable of sending words by mail.

Mandarin Vocabulary With Xìn

	Simplified Characters	Pinyin	English
	半信半疑	bàn xìn bàn yí	half-believe, half-doubt
	报信	bào xìn	notify; inform
	不信任	bù xìn rèn	mistrust
	不信用	bù xìn yòng	distrust
	电信	diàn xìn	telecommunications
	电子信箱	diàn zǐ xìn xiāng	electronic mailbox
	短信	duǎn xìn	SMS message
	公开信	gōng kāi xìn	open letter
	黑信	hēi xìn	blackmail
	互信	hù xìn	mutual trust
	可信任	kě xìn rèn	trusty
	难以置信	nán yǐ zhì xìn	incredible
	使信服	shǐ xìn fú	to convince
	推荐信	tuī jiàn xìn	recommendation letter
	写信	xiě xìn	to write a letter
	信封	xìn fēng	envelope
	信服	xìn fú	to convince
	信赖	xìn lài	confide; trust
	信箱	xìn xiāng	mailbox
	信用	xìn yòng	credit
	自信	zì xìn	confidence

Mandarin Proficiency Test

The most widely used Mandarin proficiency test is 

the 汉语水平考试 or HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi). 

The test is used for proficiency certification that 

may be required by Chinese universities and 

professional organizations.

According to The Examiner, China is planning a new 

version of the HSK, although I have heard that the 

"new HSK" has been in use for at least a year now.

Nonetheless, the Examiner article contains some

 interesting comments about the nature of the 

exam and its application in daily life:

"If you pass Level 3 and immerse yourself

in Beijing for months, you will have no problem

interacting with the locals," said Mr Zhou. "

But even if you obtain Level 6, if you are not

soaked in a conducive language environment,

you most probably will still struggle to converse

or read Chinese newspapers."

There are six levels to the HSK, and each level consists 

of a writing test and a speaking test. Level One candidates 

must know 150 words, while the Level Six tests expects a 

knowledge of more than 5,000 words. You can read more 

about the HSK requirements at this link

:http://english.hanban.org/node_8002.htm

哪裡?nǎli?

Zai Nali 

The Mandarin question word for "where" is zài nǎli. Zài nǎli literally means, "Where is it located?"

Example:

Wǒde shū zài nǎli?
Where is my book?


Traditional Characters:
我的書在哪裡?
Simplified Characters:
我的书在哪里?

以前yǐqián

Yiqian 

Yǐqián is used to talk about the indefinite past in Mandarin Chinese.

Example:

Tā yǐqián zhù zài Yīngguó.
He used to live in England.
Traditional Characters:
他以前住在英國｡
Simplified Characters:
他以前住在英国｡

地方dìfang

Difang 

The Mandarin phrase for "place" or "area" is dìfang. Dìfang has two characters which roughly translate as "a square of earth."

Example:

Nǐ jiā zài Měiguó shénme dìfang?
你家在美國甚麼地方?
Where do you live in the USA?

漢字の筆順

中国語では　漢字の筆順　を　「汉语笔顺」という。

汉语笔顺　は　わかりやすい。

貝、見、金、糸、言　などのヘン･･･の書き方。
飯、書、樹、為、挿、置、直、植、画･･･の中国語
饭，书，树，为，插，置，直，植，画









ちょっとづつ　ちがうなぁ。

请问qǐngwèn

Qingwen 

The Mandarin compound qǐngwèn is used as a preface when asking questions politely. It should be used whenever asking a question to a stranger or person in authority.

Example:

Qǐngwèn, huǒchēzhàn zài nǎli?
Excuse me, where is the train station? 
Traditional Characters:
請問, 火車站在哪裡?
Simplified Characters:
请问, 火车站在哪里?

鱼 yú Fish

The Chinese character meaning fish is 魚 in the traditional form and
 鱼 in the simplified form. It is pronounced yú.

This character is also a radical, meaning that it is used as a building
block in other, more complex Chinese characters, many of which
have something to do with fish or seafood, as in these examples:

• 魦 - shā - shark family, including some rays and skates
• 魨 - tún - leatherfish
• 鮚 / 鲒 - jié - oyster
• 鮞 / 鲕 - ér - caviar; fish roe
• 鯁 / 鲠 - gěng - blunt; fish bones; unyielding
• 鯖 / 鲭 - qīng - mackerel; mullet
• 鯨 / 鲸 - jīng - whale
• 鱟 / 鲎 - hòu - king crab

The character 魚 / 鱼 is a pictograph which, in its earliest forms,
clearly showed the fins, eyes, and scales of a fish. The current
traditional form incorporates the four strokes of the fire radical
(火 - 灬), perhaps suggesting that fish is most useful to human
beings when it is cooked.

Mandarin Vocabulary With Yú

	Simplified Characters	Pinyin
	八带鱼 octopus	bā dài yú
	鲍鱼 abalone	bào yú
	捕鱼 to catch fish	bǔ yú
	炒鱿鱼 to be fired	chǎo yóu yú
	钓鱼 to go fishing	diào yú
	鳄鱼 crocodile	è yú
	鮭鱼 salmon	guī yú
	金鱼 goldfish	jīn yú
	鲸鱼 whale	jīng yú
	鲨鱼 shark	shā yú
	鱼夫 fisherman	yú fū
	鱼竿 fishing rod	yú gān
	鱼网 fishing net	yú wǎng

Shenme 什么?

The Mandarin Chinese word for "what" is shénme. It is most commonly used as a question word, but can also be used in certain expressions like méi shénme (it doesn't matter).

Shénme occurs after the verb it references, or when used with a noun, can appear at the beginning of the phrase.

Example:

Nǐ yào chī shénme?
What do you want to eat?
Traditional Characters:
你要吃甚麼?
Simplified Characters:
你要吃什么?

We Are One Café Workshop & Seminar Series: Chinese Language Lessons @ Zen Café, Kyoto

In respond to the speech made by Ms Yumi Kitahama (a career consultant with years of experience in Singapore and Japan) during the #30 Networking Event, that language skill is one of the top important skills both for employment and business in today’s highly globalized world, We Are One is going to initiate the Café Workshop & Seminar Series with Chinese language lessons for all.

Concept:

Language Courses

1          Learn Chinese (Newbie Level) in English & Japanese

 Café setting

1          Relax atmosphere for enjoying the lesson after a day’s work

2          Complimentary drink (Hot: Cold: Ice coffee, Ice tea, Ice lemon tea etc)

Lesson content

1          Focus on useful daily conversation that native English/ Chinese/ Japanese speakers use, including slangs.

2          Application in all situations such as travel, business, daily life etc.

3          Covering topics such as newest trend, technology, traditional & pop culture, global issues which are up-to-date and interesting, enable students to gain additional knowledge besides the language.

4          Student participation during lesson to enhance effective learning.

5          Materials are free of charge, including notes, MP3 files, recommendation to online materials etc.

Lesson Format

1.        Students only pay for each lesson that they attend at the beginning of the lesson and also receive material for the day. No registration fee, no advance payment, no hidden cost.

2.        It is perfectly ok to miss some classes if you are busy are work. You can always check with your classmates on what you have missed out.

Venue: 
Zen Café (besides Backpackers Hostel K's House Kyoto)
418 Nayacho, Shichijo-agaru, Dotemachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku, 
Kyoto city, Japan 600-8142
TEL +(81)-75-342-2444 FAX +(81)-75-342-2440

It is about 10 mins walk from JR Kyoto Station

Fee: 
1500yen (includes 1 drink)

Date & Time: 
Every Wednesday 8pm to 9pm starting from 20th Oct 2010 
Registration: 

Please send the following to we.are.one.japan@gmail.com

1. Name
2. Nationality
3. Proficiency level (newbie, elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate, advance)
4. Contact number & mobile email address
5. Choice of drink (coffee, tea, lemon tea, softdrinks, hot or cold)

About the Instructor

Tong (Chinese)

Tong is a Singaporean Chinese whose native languages are English, Mandarin and Cantonese. He runs Chinese courses (www.djhchinese.com) in Singapore. He has been teaching English and Mandarin for the past 7 years in both Singapore and Japan. His students include expatriates from all over the world as well as Japanese. He is experienced in teaching adults to help them achieve their various language objectives such as for work and business. He is also passionate in teaching young children, allowing them to enjoy lessons in a fun filled setting while setting a strong foundation for the language. Tong considers himself a cosmopolitan as he has obtained his JLPT 1 10 years ago in high school and attained intermediate level French after studying in France for over half a year. Tong is also the Program Director of We Are One International, a volunteer group that connects international-mined people in Kansai by organizing various events and activities every month.

コンセプト

語学コース

1. 英語,日本語で習う初心者の中国語

カフェで

1. お仕事の後、リラックスした空間で楽しくレッスンを行います
2. １ドリンク付き

授業の内容

1. 　　日常会話に焦点を当てネイティブスピーカーが使うスラングを含む中国語のレッスン
2. 　　旅行やビジネスなどのシチュエーションに合わせて使えるレッスン
3. 　　最新のニュースやテクノロジー、文化や国際問題などの興味あるトピックを用　い、語学に加えて使える知識も共に学べるレッスン
4. 　　生徒参加型の積極的なレッスン
5. 　　授業に使うノートやMP3ファイル、オンラインの教材は授業料に含まれます

レッスンについて

1. 授業料につきましては、それぞれ授業に来ていただき、授業が始まる前にお支払い頂きます。その際に、その日の分の教材をお渡しいたします。前払い、予約手数料、キャンセル料はいただきません。
2. もし忙しければ授業を休んでいただいても構いません。いつでもクラスメイト方とどの授業を逃したか確認することができます。

Venue: 
Zen Café

〒600-8142　京都市下京区土手町通七条上る納屋町４１８
TEL 075-342-2444 FAX 075-342-2440

ＪＲ京都駅からの道順
　１）　JR京都駅の中央口より、烏丸通（京都タワー沿いの通）を北へお進み頂きます。
　２）　次の大きな交差点の信号を渡ってから右折します。
　３）　そのまま七条通を東へ５～６分位進んで頂きます。
　４）　河原町通との交差点を渡って次の通（北への一方通行）を左折します。
　５）　５０ｍ先右側にある白い６階建ての建物が当ホステルです。

Fee: 

1500円　１ドリンク付き

Date & Time: 

１０月２０日から毎週水曜日 8pm to 9pm 

Registration: 

下記の情報を we.are.one.japan@gmail.comまでお送り下さい。

1. 名前
2. 国籍
3. 連絡先、メールアドレス
4. ドリンクの選択　(coffee, tea, lemon tea, softdrinks, hot or cold)

講師について

Tong （唐、トン）中国語

中国系シンガポール人。母語は英語、北京語、広東語の３つ。過去７年間シンガポールと日本で英語、北京語を教える。今までの教えてきた生徒は１つの国にとどまらず、世界各地から来た人達と様々である。教えてきた生徒には大人が多く、彼らの仕事やビジネスに必要な語学力を高めるために貢献してきた。また子供の生徒に教えることも積極的で、子供の時期に重要な語学の基礎を築くためにも楽しさあふれるレッスンを行ってきた。彼は１０年前、高校生の時に日本語検定１級を取得、また約半年フランスで勉強した後、中級レベルのフランス語も習得と国際的である。最近ではWe Are One Internationalという、国際的なマインドを持つ関西に住む人々をつなぐために様々なイベントや活動を毎月行う、ボランティアグループのプログラムディレクターとしても活動している。

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

Audio links are marked with ►

►nǐ hǎo - Saying "Hello" in Mandarin Chinese

Learn how to greet people in Mandarin Chinese.

The literal translation of nǐ hǎo - 你好 is "you good". 
Nǐ - 你 means "you" and hǎo - 好 means "good".

Nǐ - 你 is the informal form of "you" and is used for 
greeting friends and associates. The formal form of "hello" 
is ►nín hǎo - 您好. Notice that the formal "you" is 
nín - 您.

Use nín hǎo - 您好 when speaking to:

• Superiors
• People in authority
• Elders

Use nǐ hǎo - 你好 when speaking to:

• Friends
• Colleagues
• Children

China & Taiwan

The use of nín hǎo - 您好 is more common in 
Mainland China than in Taiwan. The informal nǐ hǎo - 
你好 is the most common greeting in Taiwan, no matter 
what the rank of the person you are addressing.

How Are You?

You can extend nǐ hǎo - 你好 by adding the 
question particle ►ma - 嗎/吗. The question particle 
ma can be added to the end of sentences and phrases 
to change them from statements to questions.

The literal translation of nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/
你好吗? is "you good?" which means "how are you?"

Nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/你好吗? should only be said
 to close friends or family members. It is not a common 
greeting for associates or strangers.

The answer to nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/你好吗?
 can be:

• hěn hǎo - 很好 - very good
• bù hǎo - 不好 - not good
• hái hǎo - 還好/还好 - so so

Two Sets of Chinese Characters

You may be wondering why there are two Chinese 
versions of nǐ hǎo ma - 你好嗎/你好吗 and hái hǎo -
 還好/还好. The first version is traditional characters 
which are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and many
 overseas Chinese communities. The second version is 
simplified characters, the official writing system in 
Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia.